The Impact of Sexual Orientation on College Athlete Sport-Related Belonging and Well-Being

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of sexual orientation on college athlete sport-related well-being and determine whether team belonging influenced this relation. Two hundred nineteen college athletes completed an online questionnaire including a demographic survey, measure of sport belonging, and the Sport Mental Health Continuum-Short Form. Mediation analysis assessed direct and indirect effects of sexual orientation on sport-related well-being through sport belonging, controlling for demographic variables (race, sport gender, first-generation status, and years on team). Queer-spectrum sexual orientation significantly predicted lower levels of sport belonging, sport psychological well-being, and social sport well-being. A PROCESS macro confirmed that sport belonging partially mediated the relation between sexual orientation and sport psychological well-being. Findings highlight the importance of identity and the social environment’s impact on sport belonging and well-being. Inclusion strategies are discussed to improve queer-spectrum athlete experience.